do the work

"Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand"

[sporcafaccenda]

Art: Atilio Gambedotti

Original illustration - "placer demoniaco" - (2022)

[angel-0f-filth]

[lustgreedpride]

I've been growing sunflowers in my yard. Long a favorite, they're beautiful and strong and so vibrantly yellow. Alas, they live briefly and then wilt. And when wilting, it's time to harvest seeds for another, bigger round next year.

I was contemplating that I was doing the work of harvesting on a Wednesday, rather than a Sunday, and that some grimoires favor Wednesday rather than Sunday as Michael's. I appreciate the ambiguity of these correspondences. Rather than a science, correspondence is an art of coincidence, desire, and meaning. I resolved that while I was harvesting on Wednesday, I would bless the petals on a Sunday to capture their fiery summer intensity and keep it deep into winter to summon the absent sun.

When, to my absolute shock, I realize the neighbor's 2nd-floor porch is on fire. It's smoking, there are flames, and it's burning, and there's no one else in sight. I call the authorities and start hosing it down. The fire started/spread from the first floor roof, but my hose kept the whole porch from going up in flames and spreading to the rest of the house. Eventually the FD arrived and put it out.

I had just wanted the sunflowers to capture the feeling of some of these midsummer days, but here they go collecting all the intensity of a spontaneous fire.

holy art thou, lord of the universe; holy art thou whom nature hath not formed; holy art thou, vast and mighty one; lord of the light and of the darkness.

[chaosophia218]

Claude Paradin - Sol, “Devises Heroïques”, 1557.

[orthodoxadventure]

Ivanka Demchuk, Sophia The Wisdom of God

[vampira-carmilla]

Illustrations by Gustave Doré

[fxhdskjz]

The Tower

The Tarot of Leonora Carrington

[poisonwasthecure]

The Triumph of Death (detail) Pieter Brueghel the Elder 1562

[lustgreedpride]

Despite my reservations, I find my most meaningful spiritual reading comes from catholicism. Easily my most meaningful spiritual reading over the last few years has been from Merton, Escriva, Pope Francis, and the like, along with some lay and third order catholic writing.

Lately I've been reading Benedictine Joan Chittister, whose reminder has been that time for spirituality doesn't just happen, you have to make the time. Free time never appears, there's always something. Recently for me it's been transporting kids, cleaning, work, work, work, family obligations, daily maintenance. Exhaustion sets in all around and my ritual has simply been zone out and retire.

But I've been feeling the draw towards spirits again--or, what I now interpret as the desire to really turn inwards again in order to actively return outwards. I am in no position to retreat from the world; that fantasy is off the table, and I'm not sure it's what I want as a goal anyway. Instead, I want to really engage meaningfully in the world with depth and commitment.

One step I began last week was to find just a moment or two in which my HGA was reaching out to me. As I contemplated this thought, I looked at the pool in front of me. The deep-end depth was 9 feet. I said to myself--no, it doesn't happen like that. But yes, the only other number on the shallow end: 3 feet.

I don't like the idea of living in a 24/7 coincidence speaking schizophrenia, except perhaps in the days before a high ritual, but when I remember, I look, and often, I see. The messages often random, but they've been more integrated into the needs of my life. I was watching a soccer game with my son, who is a soccer obsessive. But he was done watching and wanted to go play. I was trying to keep him in the room, out of the heat. But sure enough, the flashing billboard advertisement behind the goal? "GO OUTSIDE. PLAY FOOTBALL" I mean, come on.

So here's to finding meaning and time. Perhaps I'll return here more often once again; perhaps this is a fleeting experience that will drift away like it often does. No matter. Life is magic.

[happyheidi]

• 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘐 •

𝖻𝗒 𝖫𝖺𝗎𝗋𝖺 𝖡𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗈𝗇

[lustgreedpride]

[lustgreedpride]

found this in the drafts folder, a successful working from just about 5 years ago

[lustgreedpride]

Made sure my trip through London included a visit to the British museum to admire John Dee's materials. The sigillum dei aemeth was really amazing to see in person.

[lustgreedpride]

Lent arrives. Ideologically, I have taken a decidedly anti-christian turn, largely similar to the position I was in when initially starting this blog years ago - satanism, with an interest in witchcraft and ceremonial magic, prompted by christian mythology, not as an inversion but a response. that is to say, if Lent can serve me, I'll indulge.

[prettyalice13]

Witchcraft Asks #1-105

Here is the list of the 105 witchcraft questions I just finished answering. I answered one each day but feel free to answer them all at once or however you want to do it. Tag your it!

1. Are you solitary or in a coven? 2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other? 3. What is your zodiac sign? 4. Do you have a Patron God/dess? 5. Do you work with a Pantheon? 6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or 
any other kind of divination? 7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any) 8. How would you define your craft? 9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do? 10. How long have you been practicing? 11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? 12. Do you believe in Karma or
Reincarnation? 13. Do you have a magical name? 14. Are you “out of the broom closet”? 15. What was the last spell you performed? 16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable? 17. Do you write your own spells? 18. Do you have a book of shadows?
If so, how is it written and/or set up? 19. Do you worship nature? 20. What is your favorite gemstone? 21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work? 22. Do you have an altar? 23. What is your preferred element? 24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist? 25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch? 26. What got you interested in witchcraft? 27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch? 28. Have you ever used ouija? 29. Do you consider yourself a psychic? 30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it? 31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started? 32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite? 33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children? 34. Do you meditate? 35. What is your favorite season? 36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform? 37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? 38. What is your favorite witchy movie? 39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why? 40. What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not. 41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you? 42. What is your favourite type of candle to use? 43. What is your favorite witchy tool? 44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools? 45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fea or spirits? 46. Do you practice color magic? 47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind? 48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies? 49. Do you believe in predestination or fate? 50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice? 51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences? 52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve? 53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent? 54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind? 55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster? 56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success? 57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about? 58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too? 59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work? 60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain? 61. What is something witch related that you want right now? 62. What is your rune of choice? 63. What is your tarot card of choice? 64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite? 65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses? 66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public? 67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch? 68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines? 69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft? 70. What are your favorite things about being a witch? 71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch? 72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band? 73. Do you celebrate the Esbbats? If so, how? 74. Do you ever work skyclad? 75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how? 76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice? 77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc) 78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol? 79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not? 80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice? 81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow? 82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice? 83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? 84. What real life witch most inspires your practice? 85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity? 86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? 87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of? 88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it? 89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they? 90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven? 91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought? 92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been? 93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities? 94. What techniques do you use to ‘get in the zone’ for meditation? 95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it? 96. Do you prefer day or night? Why? 97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work? 98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly? 99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice? 100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? 101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy? 102. What is your favorite color and why? 103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond? 104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? 105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice?

[coyote-696]

i got fuckall to do today lads, entertain me

[thewitchhuntergenerals-deactiva]

[lustgreedpride]

I got this new tarot deck, I loved it from the moment I saw it. It's corny as fuck, very woo, very hippie, not at all my aesthetic. But I've been in need of some good vibes, as it were, and this checks all the boxes---bright colors, positive messages, obvious symbolisms. This was a solstice gift, it's the Light Seers Tarot.